Scioletti's

Framingham's palate-pleasing Italian eatery

by Jim Johnson

Scioletti's Italian Eatery
700 Worcester Road (Route 9E) Framingham
872-3340
Also:
32 Lyman Street (off Route 9E) Westborough
366-9044
Sun. noon-10 p.m.
Mon.-Thurs. 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Major credit cards
Full bar
Handicap accessible

I'd visited the Scioletti's Italian Eatery in Westborough two years ago and enjoyed the meal greatly. Little did I know the meal at the Framingham's Scioletti's would be even better.

While the food in Framingham was superb, it was the setting that set the stage for the dining delight. The seating area is set in a large, lofty room designed to feel like an Italian garden. Shoulder-high wooden fences topped with lattice-work were draped with vines, leaves, branches, and delicate white lights. The bar area was built like a festive gazebo.

Thus we were disappointed when we were led into a different dining area, which we falsely thought was an overflow annex of sorts. Instead, we found ourselves in a rococo grotto, complete with fountain. A primitive toy sailboat floated in the pool, where columns framed a ceiling painted with sky and clouds. The base of the fountain was scuffed with brown and rust simulating dirt. Painted leaves added further life. While the main dining area was festive and fun, we'd found a space far more cozy and intimate.

A promised 15-minute wait lasted barely 10, and we were soon enjoying freshly baked, dense, warm bread with richly herbed olive oil. We went through two plates' worth before we even looked at the menu. When we did, we were tempted by appetizer choices like roasted red peppers and asparagus ($5.95) served in garlic and oil with herbs, grilled portabella mushrooms ($5.95) topped with melted asiago cheese and served with prosciutto, and vegetable risotto ($4.95). Despite its upscale setting and gourmand-pleasing dishes, Scioletti's bills itself as a family restaurant, and the appetizer list appropriately includes chicken fingers, buffalo fingers, and fried mozzarella sticks.

We were equally tempted by the antipasto ($4.95/$6.95), served with the expected cold cuts and cheese but also with marinated vegetables, mussels, pistachios, and pesto tortellini; the warm asparagus salad; Caesar salad; and grilled vegetable antipasto ($6.95), the latter two served with a choice of grilled chicken, shrimp, or salmon.

We ordered three dishes: risotto, mushrooms, and vegetable antipasto. The risotto was sensuously smooth, the grains still firm. A light touch of romano cheese didn't distract from the fragrant flavors of basil and other herbs. With its colorful shred of carrots, parsley, peppers, and other fresh vegetables, it was a delight for eyes and palate.

The antipasto was served on a bed of warm mixed greens, each slice of vegetable basted with olive oil and grilled. Zucchini, summer squash, red and green peppers, and eggplant were delightfully smoky and moist. The four shrimp atop them were large and sweet.

The portabella mushrooms were meaty, the asiago cheese and prosciutto added a pleasant contrast in flavors and textures.

Dinners come with a choice of capellini, spaghetti, ziti, fettucine, ricotta gnocchi, tortellini, ravioli, and vegetable risotto (some at a slight additional charge). Various sauces are served with the different preparations, but you can also choose from a variety of sauces, including tomato, garlic and oil, butter and cheese, pesto, alfredo, or clam.

Scioletti's offers many traditional preparations such as parmigiana, cacciatore, marsala, francaise, and saltimbocca, each with a choice of chicken or veal. Seafood choices include saffron shrimp and salmon pignoli (sautéed with broccoli, pinenuts, and sun-dried tomatoes) served over ziti. Meat choices include New York sirloin pizzaiola (topped with tomato sauce sautéed with mushrooms, onions, and peppers) and grilled veal chop. Most entrees fall in the mid-teens price range. You can also design your own pizza or give into temptation and order the shrimp scampi pizza ($12.95). Those on a budget can also enjoy a variety of dishes for less than $10, from basics like tortellini primavera, baked ziti, and vegetable lasagna to the more elaborate fungi alla gorgonzola with portabella mushrooms, diced tomatoes, artichokes, and gorgonzola cheese. (Lunch has many of the same items and is even less expensive.)

I ordered chicken and broccoli ($11.95), substituting ricotta gnocchi (an added $1.50) for the recommended ziti. The dish was a delight. Juices poured out of several large pieces of tender chicken, each piece dipped in egg and sautéed to brittle crispness around the edges. The broccoli was fresh and crisp, the gnocchi firm and rich. I chose the suggested white-wine herb sauce, which was wonderfully fragrant.

The shrimp scampi ($12.95) was about as good as it gets, with plenty of plump, fresh shrimp. The chef didn't skimp on the garlic, which balanced well with fresh herbs in a lemon white-wine butter sauce.

Service throughout was friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable.